The clock has turned and with it our towns and school districts turn a calendar page. With new administrations in both communities, we will be looking to our leaders to bring new energy and new ideas to their offices.

Pound Ridge welcomes Dick Lyman

At the Town House on Wednesday, supervisor Richard Lyman was sworn in after election in November. We congratulate Mr. Lyman and the rest of the team.

We anticipate Mr. Lyman will focus on his campaign goals of housing solutions, septic innovations and enhanced emergency response management.

If anyone can handle the nuts and bolts of daily governance it is Mr. Lyman, who made a campaign vow to work on solving the wastewater problems in the business district. Mr. Lyman’s plan to consider newer wastewater technology makes sense and holds great promise, although finding sources of funding for the estimated $3 million project will be a challenge.

How much longer can the town go without a functioning cell tower after years of debate, litigation and delay? Last year the antenna was hauled in and installed on the ambulance corps property; it’s been sitting there since August. Nobody seems to be in charge of this undertaking, least of all Global Partners, the company entrusted with the tower’s management. Mr. Lyman, who in the past as a councilman and member of the town’s office of emergency management has mobilized stubborn utilities into action, is well positioned to get Global Partners to pick up the phone.

Traffic will also be at the top of his to-do list, including speed enforcement, safety measures and traffic-calming devices. However, bringing all sides together, making timely and unified decisions on state and federal traffic grants and maintaining the vitality and attractiveness of the Scotts Corners business district will be issues hotly debated.

In 2014 we’d like to see the town end its political divisiveness, displaying less partisanship and more partnership. In years past the town has been split on issues such as housing, deer management, traffic management and even public events.

Mr. Lyman’s intentions are promising, stressing openness as part of his policy. “It is my intention to be accessible,” he told reporter Don Heppner.

There is no more important first step than a good listener. We welcome Mr. Lyman and wish him the best in 2014.

In Bedford

In Bedford we welcome new councilwoman Mary Beth Kass, Francis Corcoran and supervisor Chris Burdick after their November election successes. Mr. Burdick is forthcoming about his goals of environmental stewardship, retooling the town’s comprehensive plan and traffic management.

Mr. Burdick shared his vision in a one-on-one interview in late December. “I think one of the things people ask me is, ‘So what are you going to do differently?’ which I think is a very valid question,” he said. “I actually answer by starting with what I’m going to do the same because I feel strongly that we should build on the foundation of what has already been set in place.”

He comes to office on the sound financial footing established by his predecessor and fellow board members. This should enable him to address critical environmental issues, especially wastewater treatment. We invite him to advance the town’s emergency response plans; the town would do well to look to its neighbor Pound Ridge for a new town / utility effort for training qualified local residents to call in hazards and cut down on precious response times.

An advocate of the “go slow” approach to revaluation of Bedford’s homes and businesses, Mr. Burdick took a lot of heat during the campaign. But his rationale — which relies more on a state- or countywide plan for new assessments of town properties than action by Bedford alone — may actually provide a sounder basis for revaluation, particularly when taking into account that tax certioraris are down and municipal boundaries make for uneven equalization rates that can hurt homeowners.

Mr. Burdick’s first order of business will be to help select a new member on the town board. He and his fellow board members will have the option of issuing a temporary appointment, until November, or to hold a special election earlier in the year.

We are confident with change will come a healthy respect for the tradition of bipartisanship and professional respect that has come to characterize Bedford’s board.

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